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National urban growth strategy in Canada

University of British Columbia

In this study, an attempt is made to discover evidence of the presence of a national strategy for urban growth during the period from 1945 to 1969. Data for this examination consists of the federal throne speeches of the period, a selection of major pieces of federal legislation, and the debates in the House of Commons concerning this legislation. A basis for discussion is laid by an examination of the nature of urban growth strategies, the state of theory explaining urban and regional development, and a brief discussion of the experience of selected foreign countries in national urban growth strategy. Results of the examination of the speeches, legislation, and debate are presented in detail in two appendixes, while more general summaries appear in the main body of the paper. A conception of the fragmented nature of the phenomena studied emerges in relation to both housing and urban development policy, and area and regional development policy. However, a steady broadening of the perspective of the federal government is noted in both areas, which is a prerequisite for an effective national strategy. It is concluded that these two areas of federal policy concerning the distribution of activity in space have yet to be merged into a comprehensive strategy, and that the government has not yet considered introducing a regional dimension into the entire range of its activities. Thus, the evolution of national urban strategy in Canada continues, and suggestions for future research are offered

Text

2012-03-29

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/41869

Planning

University of British Columbia

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